CHARLTON NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE

​“Recently, Shelley Nelson and Hayley Soulsby successfully held a very special morning tea in Charlton to raise funds for Breast Cancer research. Starting with an idea that followed on from an earlier fund raiser that involved Hayley doing a month daily squats, the thought of combining food and raising money seemed a lot more sensible. Last year, Shelley, Hayley and seven other locals walked 60km’s in ten days for the Peter McCallum Cancer Foundation, with the team raising over $19,000.
After a postponement due to the recent flood emergency, the date was rescheduled and a great crowd turned out in support of the event. Pink decorations, games, a silent auction, raffles and a wonderful spread of delicious morning tea treats were on offer, and assistance from many helpers ensured the morning was a great success. Thanks go also to Buloke Shire for making the venue available at no charge and the Charlton Neighbourhood House for their support.
The strength and generosity of the Charlton community was again shown with $2,824 being raised by those attending, and with online donations, in excess of $4,000 was the events final result. Hayley and Shelley wish to give a huge thankyou to all those who attended and helped make the day the success it was.”

​‘With so many interruptions and cancellations to events and activities due to the flood emergency, the Charlton Neighbourhood House has been fortunate to be able to reschedule its planned ‘Get On-line Week’ activity to the week commencing October 31.
With support from The Good Things Foundation Australia, Get On-line Week give residents the chance to enhance the technology knowledge on mobile devices and computers. As was the case during the COVID lockdowns, the importance of having instant availability to emergency information  was highlighted again over the past week or so. Phone and tablet Apps that can keep you updated on weather events, emergency information, and road closures shows how important it is to have access to this technology. It can also keep you in contact with family and friends.
All week, from Monday October 31, (closed for Melbourne Cup Day), residents are encouraged to book a suitable time to come to the Charlton Neighbourhood House and have your questions answered about tech issues you may have. Maybe you don’t know how to access your Apps Store, do you need to know how to send a picture or document. Perhaps you want to access your MyGov account. You will be happily assisted with your enquiry. Book now by calling 0473759456’ 

​Perfect clear skies and a still night accompanied the Charlton Neighbourhood Houses National Science Weeks Stargazing Evening on Saturday August 20. Over 30 Charlton residents took advantage of a visit by three members of Bendigo’s Astronomical Society of Victoria, and their amazing telescopes. With support from the Royal Society of Victoria, whose charter is to promote scientific knowledge for the benefit of Victorians, all those attending were amazed at what was able to be experienced.
Firstly, it was wonderful to be able to see a large number of satellites passing across the Charlton sky with the naked eye. People were then given a brief explananation about what could be seen and details on the Milky Way and some of the constellations. The telescopes then homed in on a range of planets such as Saturn, with its rings, and its moon Titan, Jupiter, and star clusters such as 47 Tucanare and Omega Centauri. The light from these stars will have been travelling through the universe for hundreds, thousands, and in some cases millions of years before reaching us.
Many people took advantage of downloading free APPS onto the mobile phones to identify what objects could be seen, and how many star signs such as Pisces and Sagittarius are formed; the Southern Cross also being clearly identified. There were many requests for further similar events in the future and the guest presenters were very impressed by the amount of interest shown by all those attending.

​It was very pleasing to see another group of Charlton locals gaining their Responsible Service of Alcohol Certification after successfully completing training organised by the Charlton Neighbourhood House.
Reasons for attending the evening were varied, and ranged from volunteers wanting to assist local clubs and organizations at licenced events, to possible future employment possibilities. Training was provided by Access Skill Training in Bendigo, and it was noted by several of the participants that being able to do the course locally saved having to travel a long distance at night.
The training company returns to Charlton on Sunday September 18 to present yet another certificate course: this time First Aid and CPR. With no other sessions planned later this year, this will be the ideal opportunity for those wanting First Aid qualifications, or to update their CPR certificates to do so. Contact the Charlton Neighbourhood House on 0473759456 for further details or to book your place

​With the warmer weather fast approaching, the Charlton Neighbourhood House is again pleased to be offering its popular Marine Licence and Personal Watercraft (Jet ski) Certificate Endorsement. If you are twelve years or older (15 for jet ski’s) you must hold a valid licence to operate a boat on Victorian waterways.
Licence fees are payable to VicRoads to obtain your Marine Licence after the successful completion of the session by Seaton Training. By hosting this course in Charlton, people around the district do not have to travel long distances for this essential course.
The training day is being held at the Charlton Senior Citizens Room on Sunday October 23, 10am to 2pm, with a special price of just $120. Early bookings on 0473 759 456 are advised to avoid disappointment. This training is offered at the start of the warmer weather and wont be held again until 2023.

Celebrate Neighbourhood House Week 2022
‘Building resilience by bringing people together’.
 
The Shire of Buloke’s Neighbourhood Houses will be opening their doors for morning teas and special activities to celebrate Neighbourhood House Week 2022 (9 - 15 May).
The week recognises the very important contributions over 1,000 neighbourhood houses make to local communities across Australia.
Neighbourhood Houses, Community Centres, Resource and Learning Centres all play a significant and meaningful part in hundreds of communities in Victoria, with on average 200,000 Victorians visiting one each week. Funding to over 95% of houses comes from the State Government's Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, with other sources of income derived from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Local Government, Federal Government, grants, and funds generated by neighbourhood houses themselves (e.g. room hire fees, printing).
Nicole Battle, President of the national peak body Australian Neighbourhood Houses and Centres Association, said this year’s Neighbourhood House Week theme was about re-emerging and rebuilding a harmonious and resilient community after the lockdowns that saw so many Australians isolated.  
 
“I am so proud to lead such a resilient, responsive and adaptive sector, made up of so many selfless and hardworking individuals,” Ms Battle said. 
 
“Neighbourhood and community houses and centres have truly demonstrated their weight in gold over the past two and a half years. While so many other services closed during the lockdowns, Victorian neighbourhood houses stepped up. 96 per cent of neighbourhood houses continued to deliver in varying capacities, and 60 per cent ran food relief programs, responding to a significant rise in demand. 
 
“Other services our houses provided included childcare, remote adult education, home deliveries, wellbeing calls, letterbox drops, online social gatherings, technology support and device hire. Neighbourhood houses also played a valuable role during the rollout of the vaccine program, creating awareness and combating vaccine hesitancy. Some even hosted pop-up vaccination sites at their premises to make the vaccine more accessible to vulnerable community members. This Neighbourhood House Week we acknowledge this incredible effort and the staff, volunteers and community members who made it all happen. 
 
However, now as we begin to re-emerge, we are looking to rebuild those strong social connections that many people lost, building a stronger, more resilient community than ever before.” 
 
Neighbourhood Houses across Buloke Shire will be offering a range of free activities to spotlight the important role in our rural communities that our houses play. Call into your local Neighbourhood House, check out their social media pages and the local printed media to see what your local centre is doing, and join with them in celebrating what makes your community special. 

​Following a large number of requests, the Charlton Neighbourhood House is pleased to be able to again offer its popular Chemical Handlers Certificate course for those working in the district. If you require your first time certificate,  or are one of those who need to be re-acquitted, this is a great opportunity to obtain it without having to travel. With leading course provider ChemCERT training hosting the session, attendees will learn all aspects of chemical storage and handling, as well as applying chemicals to control pests, weeds and diseases.  
The Charlton session will be held on Wednesday July 6 between 8:30am and 5:30pm, and will be a terrific opportunity for locals to gain valuable skills in this important area of chemical safety. All enquiries to the Charlton Neighbourhood House 

As part of their ‘Explore Buloke’ initiative, the Charlton Neighbourhood House, supported by CASI funding from the Buloke Shire, hosted its second bus trip on Thursday November 25 around the Charlton district. With knowledgeable local Carolyn Olive giving an informative commentary during the day, many interesting venues were visited.
The groups first stop was the Learner Driver Centre where the group took a lap around the track in the bus, while observing students behind the wheel gaining valuable experience towards obtaining their licence.
A warm welcome awaited the group at the North Central Trade School where a tour of the impressive facilities was accompanied by an informative video presentation and a delicious morning tea. The visitors all walked away impressed by this terrific asset for the areas students, many having no idea of this part of Charlton Colleges operation.
The weather continued to be fine for the trip out to Teys Charlton Feedlot, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. An array of new buildings have been, or are under construction, and landscaping works have made significant improvements to the site.  The group heard about the scale and day to day operations of the site.
Yeungroon was the next stop, with the historic Yuengroon Hall a popular photography backdrop. Details were given about the planned reinvigoration and memorial due to be commencing in the not to distant future.  A short ride later the wind farm was seen from close up, and the scale of these giants was revealed. With a stiff breeze blowing, the power generating turbines were a highlight for many, and the 360 degree panoramic views across the district was stunning.
The bus then made its way to its final destination, Coonooer Bridge to see the historic Church, canon and community hall. Sadly the rain shortened the stay, but not before the church and canons history was detailed.
It was agreed by all on the bus that this had been a great opportunity to see many parts of Charlton and surrounds that are not readily accessible, and that more trips would be appreciated in the future. A huge thankyou goes to all who helped made this a wonderful excursion, specially Brett at the Driver Ed Centre, Jamie and Barry at the Charlton College, Terri from Teys, Peter for his assistance at the Windfarm and Coonooer Bridge, and Carolyn for the work putting the trip together.